Apparently, a tie is not unheard of in this Internet contest, despite it being only four years old. Asheville has claimed the title of "Beer City USA" for the last three years but they actually tied with Portland, Ore. in 2009 before winning each successive year.

This year, Grand Rapids, a newcomer, was the only real challenger despite the presence of some heavyweight beer cities like Portland, Ore., and San Diego, Calif. The credit for that has largely been laid at the feet of Founders Brewing Co., although Grand Rapids is home to numerous other breweries, home brewers, brewpubs and even a startup brewery co-op.

In the comments below the poll, the idea was floated about Asheville and Grand Rapids hosting some kind of "Beer Summit." Tony Kiss of the Asheville Citizen-Times reports that the Asheville Brewers Alliance has invited Grand Rapids breweries to the fall Brewgrass festival, Sept. 15 in Asheville.

Despite some trash-talking from each side, it's clear that many craft brew fans around the country now have West Michigan on their "brew-dar."